[03/02/10 - 02:44 PM]ABC Is No. 2 to FOX in Adults 18-34 in the Feb Sweep Non-Sports AveragesABC spins the numbers for the February sweeps period.

[via press release from ABC]

2010 February Sweep - ABC Primetime
(Based on Most Current and/or Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC is No. 2 to Fox in Adults 18-34 in the Feb Sweep Non-Sports Averages, and Beats NBC's Non-Olympic Programming by 1 Million Viewers and by 15% in Adults 18-49

ABC Airs 4 of February's Top 15 Series in Adults 18-49,
Including the No. 1 Scripted Television Show with "Lost"

ABC Claims 5 of the Top 10 Scripted Telecasts for the Month in Adults 18-49

"Lost" and "The Bachelor" Emerge as Strong Competitors Against the Olympics
As Each ABC Series Generates Year-to-Year Gains in Key Nielsen Measures

ABC's "The Middle" and "Modern Family" Achieve Series Highs in February

2010 February (26 of 28 Nights Complete):

During another atypical February Sweep (last year's shifted into March, due to the Digital Transition), as the 17-night Winter Olympics drove NBC's averages, ABC is tracking to finish No. 2 in the non-sports averages to an "Idol"-led Fox among Adults 18-34 (1.9/6) and Women 18-34 (2.6/7). In addition, ABC outdelivered NBC's non-Olympic programming during the sweep by 1.0 million viewers (6.7 million vs. 5.7million) and 15% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 2.0/5).

Please Note: Due to the Winter Olympics' broadcast during the month, ABC's normally-scheduled February Sweep "Academy Awards" telecast was pushed after of the sweep, airing this coming Sunday, March 7, 2010.

� TV Series Rankings: ABC claimed 4 of Top 15 TV series during the 2010 February Sweep among Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 scripted series with "Lost": "Lost" - No. 4 (No. 1 scripted series), "The Bachelor"- No. 9, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 12 and "Desperate Housewives" - No. 15. In fact "Lost" stood as TV's No. 1 scripted series in Adults 18-49 on 3 of the last 4 weeks and for 4 consecutive weeks with Adults 18-34. In addition, "The Bachelor" finished February ranked among the Top 5 TV series with Women 18-34 (No. 5) and Women 18-49 (No. 4).

� "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love": Holding strong against the Olympics during the sweep, on average during its 14th season run, "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" attracted an average audience of 12.0 million viewers, generating the biggest overall audience for the franchise since Fall 2003 - going back 10 seasons. In Adults 18-49 (4.2/10), the veteran ABC unscripted series equaled its highest rating in 9 seasons - since Spring 2004.

� "Lost": Another standout opposite the Olympics, February's No. 1 scripted series overall in Adults 18-49, "Lost" also registered as the highest-rated scripted show on each Tuesday of the month. And although it faced off with Winter Games and "American Idol," "Lost" is up season to date across all key Adult and Men demographics (4 episodes vs. 4 episodes): AD18-34 +11% (5.0/13 vs. 4.5/12), AD18-49 +4% (5.0/12 vs. 4.8/12), AD25-54 +2% (5.4/12 vs. 5.3/12), M18-34 +19% (5.1/15 vs. 4.3/12), M18-49 +11% (5.0/13 vs. 4.5/12) and M25-54 +6% (5.3/13 vs. 5.0/12).

� Wednesday Comedies: On their only original airings so far during the February Sweep (2/10/10), ABC's "The Middle" hit a series high with Adults 18-49 for its 2nd straight telecast, and opposite "Idol," "Modern Family" posted the series' 2nd-highest Adult 18-49 number and achieved best-ever results with Adults 18-34 and Teens 12-17. In addition, "Modern Family" registered as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted program in Adults 18-49 on each of its past 3 first-run telecasts.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Most Current (2/4-3/1/10). "The Bachelor" season averages based on Most Current Program Ratings (1/4-3/1/10). "Lost" season averages based on Live + Same Day Program Ratings (2/2-2/23/10 vs. 1/21-2/11/09).